What Serena said in the second paragraph of her review. ( )

Set in a version of the far future that is as imaginative as it is unusual, this story mixes elements of fantasy (magic) and science fiction (the setting is Aletta, an abandoned human colony rediscovered a thousand years later) with a touch of Steampunk (the ex-colonists use body enhancements and technology reminiscent of the Victorian era). The characters are engaging, and the situation is challenging: humans have found and interbred with aliens called Colviri and are approaching the still purely human ex-colony to offer their help - only to be presented with a few surprises.

Max, the appointed diplomat for the Alettans, and Rezzu, the captain of the Colviri-Human spaceship, are in charge of trying to figure out each party's motivations and intentions. Of course, they end up being so busy with purely interpersonal, ahem, issues, that the entire situation almost gets out of hand.

If you like creative settings for futuristic stories, if you enjoy reading about two men who try to keep their own secrets while revealing those of the opponent, and if you're looking for an entertaining read with lots of fun technological and magical details, then you will probably enjoy this free novella. ( )